Forever Family Day - it's official! (And she SMILES!)

Today was "Forever Family Day" - the day the adoption became official. Amelia awoke early, so we headed out for breakfast. She panicked when she saw we were leaving the room. Any transition seems hard for her. Once we are out, she is fine. Once we are in, she is fine. Going and coming, though, seem to distress her. I think after her whole world was turned upside down just a day ago, she doesn't know what to expect.

She screamed all the way to breakfast, but once she got there, she was fine and ate her weight in noodles. She is really funny. She will allow me to feed her a few bites at first and then she decides to take over, and won't permit me to help. Mealtimes are thus very lengthy, especially considering that she has this quirky thing about having to wipe down the table, her hands, her chin, her fork or chopsticks, etc., about every 3 bites.

After breakfast, we went to the room and played awhile. Sara was a hit when she turned the empty toilet tissue roll into a flying rocket or a rolling game. Amelia almost smiled. She said her first English word - "Yay!" - when her tissue wrapper made it all the way to Sara. Then, we got the bubbles out. They were a hit! She laughed when she popped them. She also called me "Mama" twice today. It was very clear and very distinctly meant for me! THAT'S PROGRESS!!!!

We have also had some periods of sadness today, but they have been brief, and she has allowed herself to be comforted. She still won't let Papa hold her, but when he was missing for a few minutes, Sara and I swear she said "Papa?". She is VERY smart. She picks up things so quickly. Her ability to communicate is phenomenal. She told me tonight (by pointed and taking my hand) that she didn't like her feet on her feety pajamas, and she wanted to wear her pajamas from yesterday without feet. Now that is smart! She is only barely 2!

As I have mentioned, she is crazy-fastidious. She stops every 3 bites to wipe up the space around her plate, her hands, etc. She keeps telling me "ta ta" - "clean it, clean it". Boy, is she in for a rude awakening. I told the Lord I wanted more self-discipline in the area of housekeeping - a 2 year old with OCD isn't what I had in mind. HAHA. She is FUNNY! We just crack up watching her clean everything in sight. Oh, and she is an organizer at heart. She loves to watch Sara pack and repack the suitcases. Today, when we were separating money into envelopes, she was practically giddy with excitement. She took them over to Dad and was "helping" him do all the sorting. She also sorted all the silverware at breakfast - forks in one pile, spoons in another, knives, and so forth. She isn't too interested in her doll, but she loves her books and she loves paper.

I was worried about taking her to the same building where we did the handover yesterday to do the adoption paperwork today, but she did beautifully. She is very interested in all manner of paperwork. If something official is happening and papers are being shuffled, Amelia Chun wants to be in the middle of it.

We received her Chinese passport today and completed the adoption. Now, we wait for the finalized paperwork to be put in a red book and given to us. Once that happens, we have all the papers we need to head to Guangzhou and have Amelia's U.S. immigration paperwork completed.

After being chastised several times by the Chinese grandmas - a.k.a. the "clothing police" - for not having Amelia dressed warmly enough for Chinese standards, I headed out to the market this afternoon for some important purchases: new undies, since she is potty trained and looks at me with disdain if I even dare suggest a diaper; a stroller, since she doesn't like to hold hands or be carried, and I am not about to let her wander the streets independently, though she thinks she is perfectly capable; and YES, a coat. This lady pictured here stopped Sara and I and engaged us in a lengthy game of charades that we only hours later figured out what she was trying to tell us: (to me) hold the baby, don't put her in stroller and (to Sara) watch out for your earrings and don't let them choke the baby.

Sara and I walked the streets of Chengdu for probably 3 hours yesterday, just taking in the sights and sounds and smells of China. I think she might love it here almost as much as I do. Everywhere we went, people would see me and the baby, and put two and two together, and then offer a big "thumbs up" or "ok" sign. The people here are so dignified and kind and lovely. They seem genuinely happy for Amelia to be adopted. After a trip back to the hotel to collect Grandpapa (who had run out of reading material and needed to head in a different direction to find an English bookstore), the three of us plus Amelia Chun, headed out sans our China guide to find some famous Sichuan "hot pot."

We happened on a small, family owned hot pot restaurant, and lo and behold, the proprietor spoke perfect English! She helped us order a lovely meal, and even brought Amelia some black rice porride - something I would never have known to ask for, but that Amelia seemed to enjoy. The best part is that the lady talked to Amelia in Chinese, and Amelia responded, but when the lady tried to pick her up, Amelia ran to me and said "Mama!" and pointed at her stroller. She want in there, where nobody was going to get her. Again, I think that's progress.

We still had tears at bedtime, and she still says something over and over when she is sad that we can't figure out. That is the hardest part of the day, when she is so terribly sad, and I know it, but I can't make it better. I hold her and rock her and kiss her and pray to God in Heaven to heal her little heart. Those are the moments when I feel like the worst mother in the world - my baby is hurt, and I can't do anything for her. Please continue to pray. Amelia is doing VERY well, all things considered. This is only Day 2. Still, we really do appreciate your loving prayers for our tiny girl.

Amy, Mike & Sara

The Entrustment of Amelia AiChun

What a day! Thank you to Dad for posting earlier - I just couldn't leave Amelia. She is now sleeping peacefully, as are both my dad and Sara. I am headed that way soon.

This has been the most amazing, wonderful, gut-wrenching, heart-breaking, faith-building day ever. First, I must tell you all that Amelia is perfect in every way. She is gutsy, smart, beautiful and all-together wonderful.

She seems very smart and independent. She likes books and drawing on paper. She seems to be potty-trained - we had a couple of successful visits to the ladies' room today. She is very neat - if she spills on herself, she immediately reaches for something to wipe it up. I can't tell yet about a sense of humor - no smiles just yet. That's okay, she had a big day today, with not much to smile about.

We met Amelia's foster family at the Civil Affairs Office. They obviously loved her very much. They were heart-broken to be leaving her. The mother was very nervous and just could not let go of AiChun. Her body was racked with sobs once she finally had to say goodbye. They brought me Chunie's favorite bowl and spoon, along with some family photos, a bag of the rice milk she is used to, and two bags of her favorite snacks. It was absolutely the most sad thing I have ever seen. I felt so torn- thrilled to finally be getting Amelia, and devastated for this woman's loss.

The foster mother and sister left, and then it was time for us to leave. That's when Amelia Chun realized she was coming with us. She was not happy about it, either!!! She cried and refused to walk, so I picked her up and carried her. I felt more like a kidnapper than a mother. If I loved her so much, how could I cause such pain? I kept repeating to myself "be strong and courageous" and "Father, help me." She quieted in the cab, but began to wail again once we arrived at the hotel.

We took her to the room and tried to entertain her, but no luck. She cried and cried her little heart out. I know it's healthy and normal, but it was so terribly sad. I tried not to cry, too, but I did a couple of times. She kept putting on her coat and trying to go to the door. This went on for a couple of hours. After that, I decided to walk the halls of the hotel with her. She walked up and down the halls calling out "Mama? Baba?" - that's "Mommy? Daddy?" in Chinese. After about 15 laps, she quit calling for them. After another 15 laps, she let me touch her. After another 15 laps, she decided I was going to be her new security person.

By the time Dad & Sara returned with a dinner plan, Amelia Chun had decided that she would allow me to touch her, feed her and play with her. I stepped into my dad's room out of her sight for a minute, and she even came into the room to find me! She drank water from Dad's water bottle, wrote on paper, played with her phone and was generally pretty content. Not happy, but content.

Now, I know I said Amelia would have to learn to like chicken. However, after the trauma of the day, what kind of mother would I be if I didn't order my daughter her favorite food for dinner? Yes, friends, I ordered fish head soup from room service and allowed it to be brought to my room for Amelia. SHE ATE IT! What's more, she let me feed her. That was completely worth it.

The best part of the day happened just a little while ago. Amelia started to whimper again. I went over and picked her up and put her in my lap. She allowed me to do this! Then, she put her head on my shoulder. I rocked her, and she fell asleep in my arms.

All in all, a wonderful and awful day rolled into one. She is mine, and I am hers, whether she likes it or not. Right now, she doesn't like it so much. I know things may get worse before they get better, but I am praying for progress each day. Amelia is a wonderful, beautiful gift from the Lord. I can't believe He has allowed me the honor of being her new mother.

Amy

We're in ChengDu!

We landed in China around 3:30 pm yesterday. Yes, Sara cried! She said she couldn't believe she actually got to come along for the ride of a lifetime. I don't think Dad slept a wink on the plane - at least I never heard him snore, and that's the tale-tell sign.

We arrived in Chengdu around 9:30 last night and were greeted by our wonderful guide, Natalie. I knew right away we would get along - she said she heard a single woman was coming to adopt but she wasn't expecting - and I quote -someone so "young and beautiful." Clearly, I am going to enjoy Natalie's company! Good for my self-esteem,. HAHA.

We had a good night's rest and a lovely breakfast at the Sheraton Lido Hotel in Chengdu. Sara really enjoyed the breakfast dumplings. We then headed out for a bit of shopping. We went to our local supermarket to buy bottled water and snacks. We couldn't resist the opportunity to walk through the deli area - wow oh wow!! We saw all manner of things being offered. We were offered these itty, bitty snails to sample - YES, Sara and I both tried some. Dad declined. It was actually pretty tasty! Dad was turning green. They had roasted pig snout, cooked rabbit heads, gigantic white carrots that are hot like peppers, and all kinds of other things we have never seen before. If you buy 20 Yuan in food, you get to spin a wheel to see if you get a discount - I spun the wheel, but today was not my lucky day!

We are now off to do more exploring. We have been told that we will not get Amelia today. We will receive her tomorrow (Monday) at 1:30 p.m. China time at the Civil Affairs Office here in Chengdu.

After stopping at our hotel to unload our purchases, we headed out to Jin Li, a popular tourist attraction. It's basically a long street with little shops to purchase trinkets and street foods. Of course, we also found a Starbucks.

We were quite the sight traipsing down the street - the children looked at us like we were aliens. Some of them tried out their English with a big, friendly "hello," while others cried on the sight of us. We ordered noodles from a noodle stand for lunch. Delicious!!! Our whole lunch, two bowls of noodles and one stick of bamboo with steamed rice, came to a whopping total of 16 RMB, about $2. We ate at a table with a lady and a small boy. He was in kindergarten and was learning the days of the week in English.

Tomorrow is Amelia Day!!! We can't wait! We will post as soon as we can once we are back at the hotel. Please pray for a smooth entrustment of Amelia to our care tomorrow.

Love to all our family and friends,

Amy, Mike & Sara

Leaving the USA

We should be leaving in about one hour! We made it through security without any mishaps (yeah!) and with all our stuff. We have had our last Starbucks for awhile and now are waiting to get on our plane. We see them putting the food from GateGourmet on - so at least we know we won't go hungry!

There were tears (Amy's) in the security line out of sheer overwhelmedness that this day had finally arrived. After so much paperwork, prayers, waiting, planning, dreaming, bellyaching, etc., it was almost too much to believe. Our flight will take about 13 hours. We think our flight route will take us north over the polar ice cap (North Pole). We'll wave at Santa. I am sure he's too busy to chat just now. We should arrive in Shanghai at 3:25 p.m. China time (Saturday), which is 1:25 a.m. USA time Sat. morning. Don't worry, we won't call you! Once we arrive, we have a short layover before heading to Chengdu, where we will meet Lady Amelia Chun - the reason for the whole trip. We can't wait!!!

Hugs,
Amy, Mike & Sara

And We're Off!

We're off! Meet the travelers: Amy B, mom to be; Mike B, Amy's dad and Amelia's grandpapa, and Sara B., Amy's dear friend from church and experienced mom, both through birth and adoption, who will keep Amy from making any major mistakes!

After a yummy start at Starbucks, we headed for the Lubbock International Airport. Don't ask me what "international" flights leave from Lubbock, but I digress. We made a short and easy flight to Dallas, where we enjoyed our last Tex-Mex meal for awhile at the airport's Blue Mesa restaurant. We then boarded our plane for Chicago, where we have a lovely and uneventful flight. We are now happily checked into our cozy hotel, waiting for tomorrow to hurry up and get here!

Since this is a complete account of the Lord's work in my life and Amelia's, I must share what happened this morning. I awoke early, and while laying in bed, basically just panicked. I thought, "what am I thinking, adopting this child as a single mom, bringing her here, and thinking this is going to work? This is CRAZY." Immediately, I turned my heart toward the Lord and begged Him not to let me make a mistake with another person's life. In my heart, I felt the word "Joshua." I don't know anyone named Joshua, so I opened my Bible and turned to the book of Joshua. Several times, in the first few chapters, God tells Joshua not to be afraid, but to take courage and do what had been commanded.

You know, God could have left me with that, and I would have known what to do. I was commanded to get Amelia, and I was to obey. But God, when He speaks, goes out of His way to be clear. He is a God full of compassion for His people. I felt I was to keep going - and so I kept reading in Joshua. And there I found the morsel that is so tiny, but was a feast in my heart! "Stretch out the spear in thine hand toward Ai, for the Lord has given the city into thine hand."

Did you HEAR that??? He said "Stretch out your hand toward Ai." Amelia's first name in Chinese is - - Ai. You can call it a coincidence. But I call it a miraculous WORD from Heaven. Before the foundations of the earth, the Lord spoke a phrase to Joshua, a brave warrior, knowing that one day, He would speak that same phrase to ME in a different context. He KNOWS my child's name, and He spoke it. I LOVE MY FATHER IN HEAVEN. OH, HOW I LOVE HIM!!!!!!! I love how He speaks. He is real. He is personal. He is the ONLY one who could have comforted my heart this morning, and He did it in a major way. THANK YOU, THANK YOU, FATHER.

And so...we are on the way, and this blog has a new "tagline" - the verse from Joshua about Ai. Pray for us as we are on our way to bring little Ai home.

The Lord is good, ALL the time.

Amy, Mike & Sara (The "B" Team)

Thank you!

A word of thanks...

Before the journey begins in earnest, I want to take some time to thank some very special people. Please know these words are heartfelt.

To my family - I have always known I have the best family in the world. This adoption has only proven to me what I already knew. I hear of so many families who are not supportive of adoption or adoption from China, but every last one of you - parents, Grandpa Burch, my brother and his family, my aunts, uncles, and cousins - ALL of you have jumped on board and welcomed Amelia with open arms. I love you! Amelia and I are so blessed to have you as our family.

Kent & Karen Ott - You are amazing people! You have generously and graciously given above and beyond what I could have ever even imagined or hoped for to be a part of bringing Amelia home. I never could have dreamed that my dad, Sara, Amelia, and I could ALL travel to China and home on Frequent Flyer miles that didn't cost us a penny. You are truly sent of the Lord for this time and this mission. You will always be a part of Amelia's miracle story. Thank you!

SAJKC - You have laughed with me, cried with me, prayed with me, and kept me sane. I love you, my sweet Lubbock prayer circle! Each one of you is a shining example of the kind of woman, mother, and child of the Father I aspire to become.

WaitingChinaFamilies - My dear "cyberfamily" who has seen me through the crazy TA wait - and endured me at my worst. You promised me my day would come, and it did. Thank you for indulging my silly songs, my DHL stalking, and all the emotions of a 143-day TA wait. You are precious people. What a blessing to have made friends with you along this journey.

Lubbock USAO - Was there ever a lovelier group of people to work with who could also fill in as "birth coaches" in a pinch? You were there when Amelia's sweet face first fluttered across my screen (I think some of you cried harder than I did), and you were there today to send me off with pizza and good wishes. I love each one of you - even on your bad days. HA! Just kidding. I do love you, and I will MISS YOU while I am away!!! I will especially miss our riveting lunch conversations. :)

Highland Families - To my two Highland Families, Highland-Lubbock and Highland-Dallas, I appreciate the love, prayers and support you have had for me over the years. I would not be who I am today without your influence.

Love, Amy (Leaving TOMORROW!!!)

Getting ready to Go!

We leave on Thursday, Nov. 16th for Chicago, and then on Friday, the 17th, to CHINA!!! We will probably receive Amelia sometime Sunday evening or Monday morning (China time). We will return to the US on Nov. 30th and to Lubbock on Dec. 1. THIS IS IT - THE MOMENT I HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR!!!